HERE'S THE BOOK I WROTE...

Thursday, April 26, 2018

This
winter, my chef friend Jon Chiri realized a dream he's had most of his
adult life: he was finally able to open his own place. Called Cuisine Centr'Halles, it
combines a cafe, a cooking school and a catering kitchen...smack in the heart
of the bustling indoor Les Halles
food market in Avignon.

Jon is a native Californian who
worked in Napa Valley, Seattle, New Orleans, Berlin, Barcelona and the Black
Forest before landing in Provence more than 20 years ago. Since then, he's run
some of the top restaurant and hotel kitchens in the region including the Chateau de Massillan (in
Uchaux) and the luxurious wine estate Domaine
de la Verriere (in Crestet).

Jon also oversaw the highly regarded
cooking school at the five-star Hotel La
Mirande (in Avignon) for a number of years and still steps in as a guest
instructor there from time to time.

With the opening of Cuisine
Centr'Halles, Jon is thrilled to have a home base for his various culinary
activities which include private
and group cooking classes, market tours, daily market-fresh lunches, unique
culinary events and chef-at-home services. Jon also leads week-long bike tours
for Gourmet Cycling Travel, the
company he co-founded in 2010, and day-long bike tours whenever he gets the
chance. (Together, Jon and I offer a half- and full-day Foodie Bike Tours in
Provence; contact me at WhatToDoinProvence@gmail.com for details).

For the
time being, however, Jon's focus is Cuisine Centr'Halles, which has pretty much
been packed since it opened. Here's what Jon's offering now:

* Cooking
Demo with Market Visit available Wednesday to Sunday, from 9 to 11:15 am. Begin with a tour around the market with
tastings, then return to the kitchen for a
demo of three items: two of Jon's unique tapenade
preparations and a third dish which
changes daily. This is followed by
a tasting of all three, with wine, for 40€ per person.
Lunch is available afterwards at an additional cost (see below) and demo
guests get priority reservations.

* Cooking
Class with Market Visit available Tuesday mornings (except in July) and on demand. Class begins at 8:45am, includes market shopping to buy the
ingredients for lunch (with tasting, of course!), a cooking class and a seated lunch with wine.
Price is 85€ per person.

* Every day except
Monday and Tuesday, Jon offers a market-fresh
plat du jour lunch at roughly 20€ person, with a homemade dessert, coffee
and water. Wine is available at an extra charge. Lunch is served from
11:30 to 1 pm Wednesday through Friday, until 1:30 pm on Saturday and
Sunday. (Les Halles is closed in the afternoon and evening.) The dish of the day is on the blackboard.

* Jon also offers special themed menus and holiday meals. So far
these have includeda Mardi Gras party, a truffle festival
and a special asparagus menu...all of which he tells me were "totally
rocking." To
get on the mailing list, email Jon at the address below.

* The
space is also open for private parties
and cooking events. Last week, for example, Jon (and our sommelier friend
Kelly McAuliffe) welcomed 20 members of my ladies club for a private market
tour, wine tasting and lunch.

"As
a chef, I can't think of many things better than this," Jon says.
"I work in the heart of a fantastic food market, where I have a never-ending
supply of the best, freshest, most-local ingredients. I get to meet the coolest
people--locals and travelers--while we cook, learn and laugh together. And then
we share a meal, connecting all the dots. The bonus is I get to see my chef
friends regularly, because everyone shops at Les Halles, and get to spend evenings with my family. Seriously, I couldn't
have dreamed it any better." While Jon's website is still under construction, you can find him on Facebook here. To book meals, classes or special events, email: contact@jonathanchiri.com. And to see what else is happening at Les Halles, click here.

Cuisine Centr'Halles

Marché
Les Halles

18
Place Pie

Avignon,
France

+33
(0)6 46 89 85 33Photos: (1) It took many months, many euros and mountains of paperwork for Jon to get his new space in the Les Halles market...and he's been pretty much packed since he opened. (2) Market stalls overflow with prepared foods and ingredients of all types. (3) Jon makes lunch. (4) Friends relax after lunch at Jon's place. But don't get too relaxed...the market closes at 1:30 on weekdays and 2 pm on weekends. (5) Jon serving lunch on Thanksgiving day. (6) A cute charcuterie! (7) Jon sharing lunch at the market with his daughter Milena, who just turned 2. "I love how she's telling me what to do with the food!" he says. (8, 9) The market as it looked in 1900...and today, with it's "hanging garden" on the north facade. The garden was the work of botanist Patrick Blanc, who used a metal frame, PVC films, an irrigation mat and 20 plants per square meter (including flowers) to bring nature to the heart of the city. (10) Jon with his wife Katrina, when Milena was about a year old. The couple met on the Paris metro, when Jon stood to offer Katrina a seat.